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A Livingston County man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct for molesting his then-girlfriend's daughters, who were both under age 13.

The 46-year-old man pleaded guilty as charged to second-degree CSC and accosting a child for immoral purposes. He was initially charged with multiple counts of first-degree CSC but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree CSC.

Under the plea deal, the man faces a sentence of 10-30 years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 20.

The defendant, who the Daily Press & Argus is not identifying because it could identify the victims, was also recently sentenced in U.S. District Court in Detroit after entering a guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, manufacturing marijuana and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and supervised release following his release for the federal case.

The molestation, which included penetration, occurred in 2010-11 while the defendant lived with the victims' mother at a home on Isbell Street in Howell.

According to a plea agreement in the federal case, the defendant admitted that he had computer disks that contained 10 to 150 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors who were portrayed in sadistic or masochistic conduct. Whether the images depicted the victims in the state case was not immediately known.

Howell police were dispatched to the defendant's home around 5:40 a.m. Sept. 9, 2011, to find the girls' mother lying dead in bed.

At the time, the defendant told authorities that he and the woman, who were dating, had gone to bed and he woke up around 3 a.m. and the woman was "sleeping and snoring," according to court documents. He said he went back to bed and found the woman unresponsive later when he woke up again.

During that investigation, officers learned that marijuana plants were growing at the couple's home.

Undercover officers later located 69 marijuana plants in the garage and adjacent to the garage. Officers also found and seized multiple weapons, including rifles and shotguns, as well as more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition.

Witnesses told authorities that the defendant, who uses a wheelchair but can walk limited distances, claimed to have the guns and ammunition "in order to protect themselves against the 'Sonic Boom' by the … United Nations," according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Witnesses also told authorities that the defendant brought the five weapons and marijuana to Michigan from Tennessee when he came to live here with his girlfriend.

Authorities said the rifles and shotguns were manufactured outside Michigan, which means the "firearms affected interstate commerce."

The man's criminal history includes a state conviction in 1993 for possession of a short-barreled shotgun and a federal conviction in 1999 for being a felon in possession of a firearm.